Ahmadinejud and the pundits

No sooner did Ahmadinejud proudly announced that Iran can now enrich uranium on an industrial scale, than the political commentators displayed their gymnastic agility by promptly getting on all fours and sticking their heads in the sand.

"Russia, France doubt Iran nuclear claims" shouts the AP report. The news being too horrible to believe in, and requiring robust response which most do not even want to contemplate, it is perhaps no wonder we are in denial. But is crouching down, with the head in the sand, a healthy attitude?

Yes, the comparison has become trite, yet it is nonetheless totally valid: Mr. Hitler told the world what he intended to do almost decade before he came to power, almost fifteen years before Munich and the horror he unleashed on the denying world, just as he promised many years prior. I wondered a year ago why did our pundits play down Iran's threat - and a year later, with Iran's nuclear capacity vastly increased, there is still no change in attitude.

"...the world had been warned and informed in good time. If the warning had been heeded and acted upon Germany would by now be free of its dictator and turning against Mussolini. Within a few weeks we could have began to build lasting world peace on the basis of justice, reason and decency. A purified Germany with a government of decent people would have been ready to solve the Spanish problem without delay in company with Britain and France, to remove Mussolini and with the United States to create peace in the Far East. The way would have been open for sound co-operation in economic and social fields, for the creation of peaceful relations between Capital, Labour and the State, for the raising of ethical concepts and for a fresh attempt to raise the general standard of living..."

Mr. Chamberlain knew better, of course. I guess he was informed by pundits whose heads were as carefully hid in the sand while they studied Mr. Hitler's pronouncements and writings as are today's Iran "experts'" who find extra-creative ways to get around the horrifying elephant in the room - that of Iran's nuclear ambitions.

No sooner did Ahmadinejud proudly announced that Iran can now enrich uranium on an industrial scale, than the political commentators displayed their gymnastic agility by promptly getting on all fours and sticking their heads in the sand.

"Russia, France doubt Iran nuclear claims" shouts the AP report. The news being too horrible to believe in, and requiring robust response which most do not even want to contemplate, it is perhaps no wonder we are in denial. But is crouching down, with the head in the sand, a healthy attitude?

Yes, the comparison has become trite, yet it is nonetheless totally valid: Mr. Hitler told the world what he intended to do almost decade before he came to power, almost fifteen years before Munich and the horror he unleashed on the denying world, just as he promised many years prior. I wondered a year ago why did our pundits play down Iran's threat - and a year later, with Iran's nuclear capacity vastly increased, there is still no change in attitude.

"...the world had been warned and informed in good time. If the warning had been heeded and acted upon Germany would by now be free of its dictator and turning against Mussolini. Within a few weeks we could have began to build lasting world peace on the basis of justice, reason and decency. A purified Germany with a government of decent people would have been ready to solve the Spanish problem without delay in company with Britain and France, to remove Mussolini and with the United States to create peace in the Far East. The way would have been open for sound co-operation in economic and social fields, for the creation of peaceful relations between Capital, Labour and the State, for the raising of ethical concepts and for a fresh attempt to raise the general standard of living..."

Mr. Chamberlain knew better, of course. I guess he was informed by pundits whose heads were as carefully hid in the sand while they studied Mr. Hitler's pronouncements and writings as are today's Iran "experts'" who find extra-creative ways to get around the horrifying elephant in the room - that of Iran's nuclear ambitions.